Reborn
by ST4RSK1MM3R
Summary: After his journey in Unova, Ash returns home to Pallet Town for a rest before heading out on his next adventure, but the adventure comes to him when a badly injured Latias shows up at Oaks lab with a cracked soul dew. He sets out with new powers and new friends to save the world from a growing evil. Again. Altoshipping! (HAITIUS)
1. Chapter 1 : On the Run

**Reborn**

 **Written By ST4RSK1MM3R**

 **Chapter 1 - On the Run**

The Sun was shining, the bird Pokémon were singing, and the clouds floated lazily across the sky. To everyone in this small part of the world, it was a beautiful day. Except for one person. Or, specifically, one Pokémon.

The sound of gunfire and explosions shattered the tranquility, causing all the bird Pokémon in the area to take flight. A single red and white Pokémon skimmed low over the grass, the ground being torn up behind her as bullets missed their mark. She pulled a sharp bank to the left as a missile impaled itself into the ground next to her, sending up a shower of dirt. Despite the fact that the missiles and bullets they were shooting at her were supposed to be non-lethal, the knowledge didn't comfort her any. She cast a quick glance at her cargo that she had tucked tightly against her chest to make sure it wasn't damaged any more than it already was, and back to the helicopters chasing her. Another missile shot toward her, the warhead popping open just before impact to reveal a net opening to catch her, but she slowed slightly at the last second, the missile and the net shooting over her head. At this point, she had decided she had had enough, and flipped over onto her back, now flying inverted. She had been running long enough, time to attack. She fired off a Mist Ball at one of her pursuers, striking the cockpit glass. While cracked, the glass did hold, just like she knew it would, but it did leave the pilots blinded for a moment, which she used to swoop around to the side of the craft and rip a metal panel off the side and use Dragonbreath on the internal wiring. The craft sputtered and began losing altitude, before crashing into the ground in a small explosion. Normally, being the caring and compassionate Pokémon she was, she would have checked to see if the occupants had survived, but at this point, she had been stretched thin. These people had attacked her home, hurt her friends, and were now chasing after her. Caring and compassion had been thrown out the window. She flew toward the second chopper, but it swerved out of the way, not wanting to join its friend on the ground. Now no longer outnumbered, the Heli hesitated in attacking her again, and after a bit feinting and attempted attacks, basically ended up staring each other down, 'mon vs machine. If she was at full strength she could have ended this fight easily hours ago, but after days of fleeing from bullets, missiles, and other Pokémon, she was near exhaustion. She needed to get to Pallet Town immediately.

They continued to watch each other, before she finally made her move. She rushed forward, seemingly to attack, and the Heli responded with a hail of bullets, pulling backwards, but instead she turned invisible and went vertical, shooting up into the sky. She didn't have time to look back to see if the helicopter was following her as she tore through clouds, scattering flocks of bird Pokémon. She could see her destination there, just on the horizon, but she knew she didn't have enough energy to make it, the edges of her vision beginning to darken. She picked a small clearing and flew towards it, hitting the ground with a thud. With a shaking hand she pulled the Soul Dew out from under her, checking to see if it was alright and undamaged. The small orb felt like warm, smooth glass to the touch, and inside blue and green colors swirled, but, its normal smooth surface had large cracks covering part of one hemisphere, and the normal blue-green interior was tainted with purple. A small wild Nidoran poked her, drawing her attention to it.

[Please… get this to… Ash Ketchum in… Pallet Town.] Latias managed to say between pained breaths. [He'll... know what to do with it…]

Her sight had been condensed into a single point, but she still was able to see the Nidoran nod its head and move out of her vision. Latias closed her eyes. Finally, she could get some rest.

"Pika! Pika pika!" Pikachu ran up to Ash, waving his arms franticly.

"What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked, kneeling down to get closer to his Pokémon. The yellow mouse pointed towards the woods behind Oak's lab.

"Something in the woods?" His electric partner nodded franticly and dashed back the way he came, trusting his trainer would follow.

"H-Hey! Pikachu, come back!"


	2. Chapter 2 : Awakening

**Reborn**

 **Written By ST4RSK1MM3R**

 **Chapter 2 - Awakening**

 _[Get. Out. Of. My. Home!] Latias screamed, repeatedly raking the Nidoking's face with her claws. The large Pokémon fell over backwards, it eyes turned to the distinctive swirl. She glared at the trainer, who took the wise move and retreated._

" _Latias!" The Pokémon in question glanced up to see Bianca leaping over a fallen tree towards her, holding the Soul Dew in her hands tightly._

 _[Bianca!] Latias exclaimed in surprise, just as the girl shoved the crystal into her chest._

" _It's the Soul Dew and you they are after, you need to leave, now!" She exclaimed, an explosion going off nearby. "Lorenzo's managed to keep them distracted for now, please, you need to go!"_

 _[T-The Soul Dew!] Latias gasped. [It's cracked!]_

" _Get it to Ash, in Pallet Town, he can protect it!" She grabbed a Pokeball out of her backpack and tossed it into the air, revealing a Squirtle._

 _[But…] Latias started to protest, but Bianca placed a hand on her shoulder._

" _Latias, please, get out of here. You're like a sister to me, I couldn't stand it if you got captured. Now go, for both our sakes, please?"_

 _Latias gulped and nodded, unable to protest after that. Bianca looked down at the Squirtle at her feet. "Come on Kooper, let's help Lorenzo."_

 _Bianca ran off, leaving Latias alone. Kooper turned to follow, but cast one sad, backwards glance and her and saluted, before following its trainer._

 _Latias floated there for a moment, processing it all, but another nearby explosion shook her out of her daze. She took to the sky, quickly turning invisible and heading out to sea, managing to avoid all the helicopters in the air, hovering around what was once the sanctuary. Some were civilian, news cameras looking at what was going on, but most were painted black with a large red R on the side. Team Rocket's transport and attack ships._

 _Suddenly, a whooshing could be heard, getting louder. Latias managed to barrel roll out of the way just in time to avoid a missile aiming for her. She spun around, finding one of the smaller helicopters bearing down on her. But how, she was invisible!_

 _She facepalmed. Of course, thermal imaging! The same thing Annie and Oakley had used to find her! She cursed, now finding a whole swarm of helicopters surrounding her, the first one having alerted the others. How was she going to get out of this?_

Latias sat up, breathing heavily. Just a dream. Just a dream, and nothing more… After she calmed herself down, she looked around at her surroundings. She was located in what appeared to be a small, bare bedroom. The walls were devoid of decoration, the only objects in the room where the bed she was sitting on and a small dresser. She shook her said to further wake herself up, and looked down at herself and almost cried out in shock. Her chest area was almost completely covered in bandages, a few drops of dried blood stained the bandages from the many cuts and scrapes. She wondered why they didn't hurt more than a dull pain, until she noticed the needle in her arm, tracing it back to a machine located next to her bed. Yep, morphine.

She sighed. With her arm hooked up to the machine like this, she couldn't really move much. So she sat there for a few minutes, just lying on the bed. Until she realized that she didn't even know where she was. She sat up with a start. So, the last thing she could remember was passing out in the forest, handing the soul dew to some wild Pokémon, telling them to get it to Pallet town. Had she been captured by Team Rocket? She glanced around the room again. This didn't _seem_ like a Team Rocket base, but she could be wrong. So, the most likely answer was that she had been found and taken to Pallet town, most likely put in the local Pokémon center.

If that was the case, then all she could really do was wait. So she laid back on the bed and tried to get some sleep, but after about two minutes she gave up. She glanced out the window above her bed. Green fields and blue sky spread off to the horizon, a mountain range just visible in the background. She guessed it was about early morning, the sun slowly rising from the east. A flock of bird Pokémon flew toward her, passing over the building she was in. Large Pokémon could be seen slowly shambling through the field, while smaller Pokémon ran about.

She simply floated there, staring out at the peaceful tranquility of nature, and realized she had never seen so much of it in her life. The island Alto mare was situated on was small, barely even large enough to handle the city that covered most of the tiny landmass. And, being it's now sole guardian, she couldn't just go and explore the world. While there was, in fact, a lot of nature on Alto mare, it was mostly trees and flowers, with the occasional bush in there somewhere. In fact, she suddenly realized, she had never even seen grass before, other than back in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary…

She sighed, turning away from the amazing scene outside her window. The Sanctuary, her home. What had happened to it? To Bianca, to Lorenzo, to all her little Pokémon friends? To her city? She thought back, combing over every last detail in her memory, and found that she didn't even know. Everything since she had fallen asleep the night before was one giant blur, her almost two day journey from there to here one giant blur, simply basic instincts and adrenaline keeping her going…

For the first time since it all started, she could cry. After all the action of the past days, she could finally rest, and cry. The tears began to flow, as she remembered the explosions, the fire, and the gunshots…

She sat like that for a long time, crying into her pillow.

Why her?

He was angry. He was always somewhat angry, but he had to be, in this line of work, but today was bad. One of his suppliers was taken down by the police, and that wasn't ever the worst part. Acquisition of certain assets was taking longer than expected, and the rest of his plans had to be put on hold until it was captured. He silently fumed in his dark office, waiting for news, his Persian sleeping in the corner. Of course, his office was dark for a reason. It created an intimidating atmosphere, also helped by the fact that the very few dim lights in the room were situated behind him, so that anyone who entered his office could only see his silhouette, while he could see them fine. The door slowly opened, and a grunt silently entered, while a female grunt, her lavender armband identifying her as a special operations squad leader, placed a folder on his desk.

"Sir, Unit 8 has reported losing contact with their Target in the area surrounding Pallet Town, however they believe it heavily injured and couldn't have gotten far. They lost two helicopters, but are currently working to re-establish contact."

"Remind them that I want the secondary target alive if possible, and the primary intact, or they will know what will happen." He said.

"Yes sir." She said. "Interrogation is currently in with its two defenders, a girl and a man." She continued. "While they have proven useful, most of our information is coming from decoded markings in the sanctuary itself, which Annie and Oakley have been a major help in deciphering. The full report is in the file, including all the information we have on operating the machine."

"Anything more?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. Units 3 and 4 have finished preparations and are ready to begin the assault on your orders."

This time, he smiled. "Good, inform them to begin at once. And send Unit 9 to assist Unit 8, we can't lose those assets. Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, dismissed."

She nodded and walked out the door, the other grunt following close behind. After they left, he glanced down at the folder on his desk, glancing through some of the papers inside. Soon…

She slowly opened her eyes again. She was still on the bed, still in that bare bedroom. She was leaning against the wall, pillow clutched in her arms. She realized she had cried herself to sleep. _Not for the first time,_ she thought sadly. But things had changed.

The needle was no longer in her arm, but due to that she could feel a slight ache in in chest area, a result of her injuries. Judging from the light coming in through the window, it was mid-afternoon. Of the same day, she couldn't tell. She stretched her arms, yawning. She wasn't sure she had ever had that deep a sleep since she could remember, although she guessed the fact she hadn't slept in three days helped.

She was hungry.

She floated out of the bed, tossing the sheets off her. She hovered in the middle of the room, going over her body to make sure that nothing was broken, and everything was working as intended.

She slowly floated out the door, looking up and down the hallway. No one there. It didn't really look like any Pokémon Center she had seen. She randomly picked a direction down the hallway, occasionally peeking into doors to see if she could find anything. Nothing of interest.

A set of stairs ended the hallway, leading down. She slowly descended down them, unsure what would find at the bottom. As it turns out, a door. She slowly opened it, finding herself surrounded by numerous large machines, all whirring and beeping. Multiple monitors spit out streams of illegible data, most of it displayed in fancy charts and graphs, all seemingly color-coded with the same bright colors. She moved on to another room, finding it much friendlier than the first one. It appeared to be an office, with a computer sitting in one corner surrounded by multiple notes stuck to all surfaces. Papers littered the ground, seemingly tossed around in a haphazard manner. A large window made up most of one of the walls, looking out over a large grassy field and a small town beyond. While she had never actually been here before, she could recognize Pallet Town from the pictures she had seen.

" **You lost or something?"** She turned towards to voice, but found nothing, until she looked down. A green Pokémon with a large plant-like bulb on its back sat near the window, looking at her. [Oh, yes, um…] She fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable.

He chuckled. **"You looking for Ash?"**

[Oh, yes! But… where am I?] Maybe this Pokémon could help her.

" **Oak's lab and Pokémon reserve, in Pallet Town. Don't worry, you're safe here."** She relaxed, now that she was sure there was no threat. **"The names Overgrowth, a Bulbasaur. Nice to meet you Latias."**

[You know who I am?] He nodded. **"Ash filled us in when you arrived. Apparently, you two have some history."**

She blushed, but continued. [So you're one of Ash's Pokémon then?]

He shrugged. **"Used to be. Hasn't called on me since Kanto, but I don't really mind. I'm mostly the leader around here now, keeping track of some of the younger ones, making sure they don't get eaten, ya'know?"**

She nodded. [Any idea where I can find him?]

Overgrowth glanced out the window. **"He was inside a few minutes ago, couldn't have gotten far. He's probably out back."**

[Thanks!] She levitated out of the room, leaving the Bulbasaur behind. He just smiled and shook his head.

 **Wassup guys, the ST4R is back!**

 **OK, an explanation.**

 **For those of you new here, you can skip this, but for those coming from the first edition of Reborn, stick around.**

 **The reason I decided to rewrite this story is because I didn't feel happy with the first few chapters, so I went about rewriting them, making them longer and better written, with more details and such, and had planned to simply replace the old chapter with the new one. However, as I was writing, I wanted to make a few edits to the overall story, but I couldn't do that with the already existing story, so I made a new one.**

 **The reason I was gone for so long was because I was focusing on finishing my other story before going back to this one, but I got writers block, and came back.**

 **As of now, the original Reborn is dead, and this is the one I'm going to be updating. As for updates, I hope I can update at least every few weeks at the least, but I am a very slow writer and get distracted easily, so don't count on it, and please don't beg me to update, the chapter gets done when it gets done.**

 **Anyway, that's all for now.**

 **Godspeed,**

 **~ST4RSK1MM3R**


	3. Chapter 3 : Reunions

**Reborn**

 **Written By ST4RSK1MM3R**

 **Chapter 3 - Reunion**

She narrowed her eyes at her opponent, who was standing on the other side of the clearing, her head raised high in a cocky manner, a smirk on her face. She glared at her, which only caused her to smirk more. **"You sure you want to do this, you little grass weasel? If I remember correctly, the last time you decided to challenge me, you ended up face first in the dirt, covered in bruises!"**

She scoffed. **"Oh please, you had the advantage then, attacking me on rocky terrain like that, no grass in sight. It made it easier for you to run away from my attacks."**

Her eye twitched. **"Oh, and so you** ** _clearly_** **think that challenging me here, where tall grass is abundant and where you can't see the sky through the treetops, that** ** _you_** **have the advantage. However, you are clearly mistaken, as I grew up in these woods, and I know them like I know my own name! You were** ** _foolish_** **to challenge me here!"**

She laughed. **"How foolish do you think I am? I know that you were raised in forests such as these, but so was I! And I have taken down birds twice your size back in Unova, where they have much thicker forests! And, now that you are no longer attacking me in a place where you have the advantage, we can finally have a fair fight!"**

 **"You think you're so clever, but your cleverness will be your downfall!"** She thrust her wing upwards dramatically. **"For today I shall be victorious once again!"**

 **"In your dreams, Avian!"**

 **"Then come at me, Eden!"**

[Hello?]

Eden paused mid-leap in surprise at hearing a voice in her head, causing her to lose her balance. She turned and looked back at the Pokémon who had interrupted their battle, sighing. **"What do you need? We're kind of in the middle of something here."**

[Oh, um…] She fidgeted in place, seemingly unsure of herself. [W-Would you happen to know where a trainer by the name of Ash Ketchum might be?]

 **"And you are..?"**

[...L-Latias..?]

Eden the Snivy watched the newcomer. She was a species she had never seen before, and by the looks of it, a powerful one, just by the aura seemed to radiate from her... After sizing her up, she determined her to not be a threat, either to herself or her trainer, mostly because of the numerous bandages covering her body or the fact that seemingly standing there talking to them was causing her discomfort.

 **"Are you asking me or telling me?"**

[T-Telling. Latias. My name is Latias.] She said, a little more confidently. [Um...hi.]

 **"Hey... My name's Eden, I'm a Snivy. What are you? I haven't seen you around here before."** Now that she had determined the dragon as not a threat, she could finally get to what she wanted.

[I'm a Latias. I come from the city of Alto mare, in the Hoenn region.]

There was silence for a moment.

 **"...Your name is Latias and you're a Latias?"**

[We'll, I was raised by humans, so…]

 **"Yea, but wouldn't your parents have named you something different?"**

[I… don't have any parents.]

 **"Oh."** She immediately felt guilty for bringing it up, as she most likely should have seen that coming by her name and how she acted. She might have been the tough one in the group, but she wasn't heartless. **"Look, I wouldn't know where my trainer is right now, sorry. He's most likely going to come back to the lab, so it's best to wait there."**

[Oh, ok, thanks!] She turned around and slowly floated off, back in the direction of the lab.

Eden watched her go. A feeling in her chest told her that she would be seeing more of this "Latias". Probably superstition. She just shrugged and turned back to her opponent, who was now staring at her. **"...What?"**

 **"Do you know who that was?"** The Pidgeotto asked with wide eyes.

 **"...No?"**

 **"That was a legendary Pokémon!"**

Eden looked back to the red and white figure slowly floating away. **"...Really? How do you know?"**

 **"Couldn't you tell?"**

 **"Just answer the question Avian."**

 **"It's the aura, the** ** _presence_** **! Couldn't you feel that?"**

 **"...Nope"**

Avian did the bird equivalent of the facepalm.

* * *

Latias was unsure what to do. Everyone she had met had all given her conflicting answers about where Ash would be. And while she _had_ gone out here to find Ash, it also gave her an excuse to see some of the Pokémon that inhabited this region, as well as some of the more exotic ones, like the Snivy she had just left, and few of the ones she had met she recognized from watching battles on TV.

She sighed. Might as well head back to the lab and wait. Suddenly, something large blocked out the sun.

 _Uh oh…_

The ground shook as something large hit the ground in front of her, sending up a small cloud of dust. She could only stare up in shock at the large dragon towering over her menacingly. Most dragons were super protective of their territory, and usually wandering into it was a bad idea. She prepared herself for a fight, but what happened next surprised her.

 **"Hey, you okay?"**

Latias peeked out from behind the quick shield she had thrown up in defense and gazed up in shock at the orange dragon towering above her. She tried to say something, but it only came out as a soft squeak.

The two of them stood there for a moment, sizing up each other, Latias trying to build up enough courage to say something. **"Um… hello?"**

 **"Oh! Uh, sorry. For scaring you, I mean."** The Charizard said sheepishly.

 _Sure, go and give me a heart attack, why don't you?_ She wanted to say, but her nature prevented for from saying anything but, **"N-no, it's fine…"** She glanced down at her bandaged wings. **"I have kinda gotten used to life-changing shocks recently…"**

He looked down at her with sympathy. **"Yea, I can relate…"** When he didn't elaborate, Latias decided not to ask.

 **"So! Anyway!"** He said, smiling again. **"My name's Volcano! And you, I can only assume, are Latias, legendary Eon Pokémon and guardian of Alto mare?"**

 **"How did you know?"** Latias asked. Sure, she was a legendary Pokémon, but just because she was legendary didn't mean she was very well know. In fact, her legend wasn't known much outside Alto mare.

 **"When you spend time traveling the world, you pick up a few things."** He smiled. **"Plus, Ash likes to talk. Your little adventure has come up more than once."**

 **"Really? So you're one of Ash's Pokémon then?"**

 **"Only one of the best!"** He smirked. **"We've been on a few adventures, although I have been away training for a while."**

 **"Would you happen to know where he would be? I've been looking for him."**

The fire type shook his head. **"Nope, sorry. Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him all day."**

Latias sighed, hanging her head. **"No idea?"** She looked towards the laboratory where she had come from, now just a tiny building in the distance. This Pokémon reserve was fairly big, and she had come a long way without realizing it, just taking in the scenery and talking with the Pokémon.

She groaned. **"Now I guess I have to make my way all the way back to the lab, seeing as no one seems to know where he is."**

 **"Need some company?"**

She looked up at the orange dragon who had just spoken, and smiled. **"Sure, thanks."**

 **"Don't mention it, besides, not sure I can trust you to get back safely with you in that state."**

Latias just smiled.

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling the wind brush grass against his face. He sat up, finding a strange world surrounding him.

At first, it looked like he was back in Alto mare, inside the secret garden that was Latias's home, with a few changes. The first thing he noticed was that everything seemed a lot more… grey. Like someone had gone and placed a filter over the entire place. The second was that everything was overgrown. Vines climbed up the trees, and moss had begun to cover the stone pathways. The grass looked like it hadn't been cut in years, and even the buildings that surrounded the garden seemed run down and crumbling, much like the few ruins he had visited during his travels. Third, and the thing that unsettled him the most, was the sky. It was an unnatural mix of peaceful green and blue with large amounts of jagged purple and red, giving it a look like cracks were splitting the sky.

[Ash?]

He stood up to find Latias floating beside him, also looking up towards the sky. She turned her attention back to him when she heard him stand up.

"Any idea what's happening or where we are?" He said, walking into the center of the path, facing towards the fountain.

[We're in the garden, back in Alto mare but… not.] She suddenly began to tear up as flashes of explosions and fire began to resurface.

"Latias?"

[I-I'm fine!] She leaped into the air slightly.

"...Are you sure?" Ash asked, concern in his voice.

[T-Trust me, I'm fine.] She wiped a tear from her eye. [Come on, let's try and find a way out of here.]

Ash gave her a worried look but followed her as they made their way towards the fountain in the center.

"Ok, we need to try and figure out what is going on, and how and why we ended up here. What was the last thing you remember?" Ash asked, standing on the edge of the fountain. The water was surprisingly clear, the structure designed to hold the Soul Dew containing nothing. It was a strange contrast to the rest of the area.

[We were inside the lab…] Latias said, squinting, trying to remember. [And there was this bright light, coming from… the Soul Dew?] She sounded unsure.

"That's about what I remember too…" Ash said. "So, are we… inside the soul dew?"

 **[Correct.]**

"Gah!" The two of them jumped as an unexpected voice came out of nowhere. They looked in the direction the voice had come from, finding a familiar blue figure hovering above the waters of the fountain. Latias gasped. [B-Brother?!]

 **[Latias,]** He started to continue, but found himself wrapped in a hug from his sister, tears in her eyes. He seemed surprised at first, but eventually returned the hug with a soft, sad smile. They floated there for some time, simply enjoying each other's embrace, before Latios reluctantly let go of her.

 **[It has been far too long since we saw each other last. And I wish it could have been under… more ideal circumstances,]** He turned his attention to the Pokémon trainer. **[And Ash, of Pallet Town. It is a pleasure to finally meet you properly.]**

"Uh…" Ash just stared at him. "...Hi?"

[B-Brother…] Latias slowly pulled away. [How are you here? _Where_ is here? I-I thought you…] She gulped and shuddered.

He sighed. **[I know you must have many questions, but I am afraid I do not have the time to answer them all. Our time together is short, and we have much to accomplish. The Soul Dew has become damaged, and is in danger of becoming unstable, and if we do not complete what I have set up in time, we shall all perish.]**

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, watching Latios slowly float up into the air.

 **[We used a lot of energy to modify this plane for use by non-deceased souls so I could bring you here. But the Soul Dew has become damaged, resulting in the spell holding this dimension together to start to deteriorate. We must hurry, or we will all be crushed within a collapsing dimension when it does.]**

Ash and Latias glanced at each other. "What do you need us to do?"

 **[You know how to manifest your aura, correct?]** Both Ash and Latias nodded.

 **[Good.]** He floated over to the fountain, and reached his hand into the clear water, returning with a clear and undamaged soul dew.

 **[Now…]** He stood between Ash and Latias, looking both of them in the eye. **[Listen very carefully. While what I need you to do is relatively simple, if you mess up even slightly your sending all our souls into oblivion, got it?]** The two of them gulped, but nodded.

Satisfied, Latios tossed the crystal orb into the air, leaving it floating a few feet above their heads. **[All I need you to do is manifest your Aura in front of you, and I can do the rest.]** Ash and Latias glanced at each other, before nodding silently. Latios closed his eyes, seeing that they were ready, and held out his arms, concentrating.

If anyone had been viewing the situation, they would have seen everyone's eyes light up, and soft tendrils of light beginning to pool into a sphere between their outstretched hands, each one a different color. Ash's was a deep green, while Latias's was a light pink. Latios's was a dark gray. Unknown to Ash and Latias, Latios seemed to be in considerable pain as he performed the ritual, his face scrunched in discomfort, with sweat rolling down his forehead.

It seemed like nothing was happening at first, but then Latios aura suddenly began to glow brighter. Soft tendrils of light purple light began seeping from Latios's aura, wrapping around the Soul Dew. Similar tendrils began flowing from Ash and Latias, the three colors swirled around each other before seemingly combining into one giant ball of light. It grew smaller and smaller, floating higher into the air before being absorbed by the soul dew. As soon as the light faded, the crystal began cracking, and finally shattered with the sound of breaking glass, the pieces falling to the ground and seemingly evaporating.

[Brother!] Latias rushed forward, catching her brother as a tumbled to the ground. He was breathing heavily and trembling, but had a triumphant smile on his face. [Are you alright?]

 **[I'm dead, sister. I say I could be better.]** He chuckled, attempting to pick himself off the ground, but failing and leaned against his sister's body for support. **[But, it is done… Now I can finally rest...]**

[Brother, please…] Latias softly pleaded. [Answer some of our questions. What did we just do? How are we here, seeing you?]

He raised his hand to halt her questions, slowly picking himself off the ground, grunting a wheezing all the while. Finally up under his own strength, he spoke.

 **[Sister, I'm dead.]** He said, gesturing to his body. **[Yet, here I am. Unnaturally bound to this world against my wishes. I want to move on. That's why I brought you two here. To help me. I don't know what damaged the soul dew, but I can assume that's why you two are together.]** He sighed. **[I was young and weak when I sacrificed myself, resulting in the Soul Dew not being as powerful and stable as it would have been if I had been a fully mature adult. The Soul Dew would have become unstable and collapsed in a few years anyway if the events which caused you two to come together hadn't happened. If that had happened, my Soul would have been shattered and destroyed, much like our fathers when Team Rocket used it three years ago, with the same effect on the town.]**

[So you're saying the town would have been destroyed anyway if the soul dew hadn't become damaged?]

Latios nodded. **[Yes. But, the ritual we just performed prevented that. I took a part of your two souls and merged them together before forcing them into the soul dew, causing it to shatter under the pressure, allowing my soul to go free.]**

[But what about Alto mare? Without the soul dew there, wouldn't the water leave and destroy the town again?] Latias asked, eyes widening. [Also, humans and Pokémon's souls aren't compatible!]

Latios chuckled, smiling another sad smile. **[Do not worry, my sister, for** ** _he_** **has told me that he has made arrangements so that will not happen. As for your second concern, you are right, but he gave me something to fix that…]**

He swooped down and placed something in Ash's hand before Latias could ask who "he" was.

"What is this?" Ash asked, looking at the object on his palm. It was a small purple crystal, only a little larger than his fingers. It was a purple-blue color and seemed to give off a small amount of light.

 **[Your destiny.]** He backed away slightly. **[Now, sorry to jump this on you, but as I keep saying, little time. The next few moments are going to feel a bit strange, as I am pretty much completely destroying and rebuilding your soul, but remain calm and I can answer a few questions when you return.]**

Ash just blinked in confusion, trying to register what he had said. He heard "destroying your soul". He blinked again.

"...Wait, what?"

 **[Don't worry about it.]** He floated over to Latias and gave her a hug. **[** ** _Vale, dulcis pluvia_** **.]** He whispered. **[I'm sorry I could not stay for longer.]**

[W-Wait, brother!] Latias reached out to him one last time, but he shook his head, and softly pushed her hand away, tears in his eyes.

Latios's eyes glowed blue, and the crystal exploded.

* * *

 **Well, that's that.**

 **Hey guys, I'm back! It's been awhile, and the main reason for that was I wanted to complete my other story first, (even now it's still not completed) but writing this chapter was also hard for a number of reasons, mainly just that I'm not good at writing these kinds of scenes, and I had trouble writing the pre-rewritten version too.**

 **Anyways, we meet a few of Ash's Pokémon this chapter, something I never got around to doing in the old version, and Latios makes his 1st and only appearance.**

 **I swear next chapter will be 6k words plus, or I quit.**

 **Leave a review to let me know what you think, and I will see you next time!**

 **(Also, did you notice this story got a cover? Made it myself ^^)**

 **~ST4RSK1MM3R**


	4. Chapter 4: Stormclouds of the Horizion

**Reborn**

 **Written by ST4RSK1MM3R**

 **Chapter 4 - Stormclouds on the Horizon**

The Tree of Beginning. One of Hoenn's most recognizable landmarks and a scientific mystery, the large unnatural structure stuck out like a sore thumb from the surrounding landscape. The Tree was the subject of many tales from the people who lived in the surrounding area, tales and stories passed down from generation to generation, of gods and goddesses said to inhabit the ancient rock formation, of empires fighting over it, hoping to discover power, wealth, divine guidance, knowledge beyond comprehension, the meaning of life itself among the things said to be contained within its cold, stone, walls. Tales of ancient, extinct Pokémon being spotted among its "branches", and it was even said that the purple crystals that only appeared in the area held the souls of the dead.

Of course, that was a crazy talk. You weren't going to find the meaning of life from a stone tree, and besides, everyone knows the meaning of life, the universe, and everything is 42.

She giggled, swooping down low over the water, various water-types poking their heads out of the water to look at her as she passed. A few waved, and she waved back, a smile on her face. The sun was shining, the bird Pokémon were singing, the weather was cool, and there was nothing of major importance going on. Arceus had recently returned from his recovery in his dimension after the betrayal for a human who had somehow managed to inflict some major injuries to her father.

She was a little pissed about that at first. Not because the human had injured Arceus, she knew he could take care of himself, but because after he had been injured, he was forced to leave, leaving HER in charge! Of the ENTIRE REALM! She HATED being in charge! She would much rather be sleeping than sorting out matters of dimensional imbalance and attempting to prevent human wars, but, as her three brothers were busy keeping time and space in order, there was no one qualified left.

Speaking of human wars…

She slowed as she rounded a bend in the river, the familiar shape of Cameran Palace, its large banners fluttering in the wind visible even from quite a ways away. The hustle and bustle of human life reached her ears as she flew over the castle, pausing momentarily to watch the humans scurry around below her, before leaping off the side and made her way towards the Tree of Beginning, startling a flock of bird Pokémon who had happened to fly in front of her.

It was good to be back home.

Humming a tune to herself, she flew over the jagged rock spires of the landscape surrounding her home, the purple crystals becoming more and more abundant as she got closer to the tree. Spotting a familiar figure flying low over the landscape, she slightly adjusted her path, bringing her close to the dragon.

[Hey, it's Lewis!] She said cheerfully, pulling up alongside the Dragonite.

" **Hey, Mew!"** Lewis rolled onto his side, turning his attention to the pink cat. **"You're here early. Didn't expect to see you for a few weeks."**

[Oh, finished up my duties a few days early, thought I would come back a few days early. You know, hang out a bit. Actually, I'm surprised to see you here too, thought you were out adventuring?]

The Dragon shrugged. **"Guess we both decided to come home. So, what was it this time? War, famine, disease? Your brothers giving you trouble again?"**

The pink cat shook her head. [Actually, it was Team Aqua and Magma, if you remember them. They had another crazy scheme to take over the world again, and were fighting each other over it.] She frowned. [You know, I never understood what their deal was.]

" **There are some people out there who just want to watch the world burn,"** Lewis said, adjusting his flight pattern slightly to avoid scraping the tops of pine trees. **"Or, in Team Aqua's case, drown."**

Mew nodded, before noticing something. [Hey, what's that on your back?]

" **Oh, this?"** He said, reaching back and snatching the object. It turned out to be a brown satchel bag that he had slung over his shoulder. **"Just something I picked up during my travels. Useful for picking up any interesting things I find."**

[So what's in it now?]

" **Food, mostly."** He reached into the bag, and, after removing the wrapper, tossed a candy bar into his mouth. **"This stuff is good. Have you had some?"**

Mew sweatdropped. [I don't think Pokémon are supposed to be eating those…]

Lewis shrugged. **"Been eating them for a while, not dead yet."**

Mew just shook her head, glancing up. The tree now filled her vision, the cries of all the Pokemon who called the tree home now reaching her ears. Turning back to Lewis, she waved goodbye. [Anyway, gotta run, need to do stuff. I'll see you around.]

Throwing up a quick salute, the Dragonite banked right, leaving Mew alone in the sky. Following her own path, she quickly ascended up to the top of the tree, ducking and weaving in and out of caves in the side of the tree. Reaching the summit, she slowed, eventually settling down on a stone ledge, hanging off the side of the tree. She enjoyed coming up here, due to the high elevation the air was thin, and not many Pokémon could live up here for an extended period of time, so it was quiet and peaceful.

From this spot, one could see almost all of mainland Hoenn, and even some of the outlying islands on clear days, and a clear day it was, with only a few clouds blocking her view. The sun was setting, the hue tinting the sky and water orange, the world slowly darkening around her.

She flipped around onto her back, inhaling a deep breath of the clear air, before summoning a camera and snapping a picture of the view.

[Perfect.] She smiled, before tossing the camera through a portal, summoning a pink bubble, and placing herself inside it. [Ahhh, finally some peace and quiet, and some time to relax.]

[How long do you think it'll last?]

Without turning around, Mew replied, [Now that you're here, I would say my two seconds of peace are up.]

[Aww, why, am I not allowed to visit my favorite daughter when the world isn't in danger? Whatever happened to friendly family visits?]

[They ended when you went into hibernation for a thousand years. And even before that, you never really talked to us unless something world-threatening was happening.] Popping her pink bubble, she floated over to the lamagod, giving him a quick hug, that, due to her small size, resulted in her just hugging his face. [I missed you, Dad.]

Blushing slightly, Arceus responded with, [I missed you too. Your brothers, not so much.]

Mew chuckled, releasing him. [You should have seen some of the fights they got into while you were gone. Quite impressive to watch, actually.]

Arceus raised an eyebrow. [Didn't I assign you to break up their fights?]

[Oh, chill out. I always broke them up before they could hurt themselves or the space-time continuum too badly. Except back in Alamos town, they actually teamed up to trap me in a pocket dimension, before resuming their fight. Thankfully, a Darkrai and some humans broke it up before nothing _too_ bad happened, although, as you can imagine, Giratina was pissed.] Mew shrugged.

[Actually, I'm surprised you're not angry at me for springing this job on you. I know how much you hate being put in charge of things.]

[Oh, I _am._ ] Said Mew with a sinister smile, giggling to herself, before returning to her normal self. [ _But,_ I'm happier right now about your return.]

Arceus rolled his eyes. [Sometimes, I wonder if I somehow accidentally created you with some kind of mental disease...]

[Well, the question is,] Mew pondered. [If I'm the ancestor to all Pokémon, wouldn't everyone _else_ have the disease, because everyone _doesn't_ have what I have?]

The two of them just stood there for a while, looking at each other. [That's not how it works.]

Mew shrugged. [Meh. Anyway, what brings you here? Because, we both know that you're not here to check in with Lil' old me, as much as would love that.]

Arceus was silent for a moment. [As much as it saddens me…] He turned to her. [...you are correct. The ley lines have become corrupted sometime since my return, and I was unable to repair them before the corruption spread and became too much for me to handle. A few keys have already reappeared, and one has already been corrupted. And, sadly, the corruption has begun to spread to my body as well.]

[Oh, Dad…] Mew came up and hugged his face again, now noticing how his normally pure white coat had lost some of its luster, and his pupils had a small purple tint. He seemed to shiver from a cold wind only he could feel. [I had known that the ley lines had become corrupted, but I did not know how bad it had gotten. If I did, I would have at least attempted to correct them.] As Mew retreated, her father shook his head.

[I do not blame you for what has happened. There are none who are as in-tune to the workings of the universe as me, and, even if had noticed, your power would not have been enough. Not even sacrificing your Soul would have been enough to correct it.] He sighed, turning away from her, closing his eyes.

[It is my own fault this has happened. Between my absence, without leaving someone properly equipped to handle the delicate balance of the universe, and your brothers fighting and the humans meddling upsetting it further, this was bound to happen eventually.]

He turned toward her and was about to say something when the sound of an explosion could be heard in the distance. The two of them glanced at each other, Arceus looking concerned. Mew shrugged. [That happens all the time here. Hang on, I'll see who it was.]

Mew took to the skies, flying the short distance to where the sound had originated from, and almost giggled at the sight. A female Zorua stood in the center of a circle of burnt grass, a few tufts of fur singed on her body, but otherwise completely fine. However, she stood there giving a death glare at a male Riolu who was standing a few feet away and seemed to be trying very hard to suppress a laugh. Finally, after a few moments of silence, the Riolu burst out laughing, and the Zorua's expression turned to one of hurt. **"Feuer!"**

" **Sorry Nero, I'm sorry."** The Riolu said, attempting to regain his composure, but failing. **"It's just… your expression! That face was priceless"** He burst out laughing again.

Nero gave an exasperated sigh. **"Feuer! Why did you do that?"** She glanced back at her singed fur. **"It will take weeks for my fur to return to its normal state. My parents are going to kill me…"**

" **Look, I said I was sorry, ok?"** Feuer apologized, walking up to her. **"Also, thought you said you don't like being all pampered up "like a princess?"**

She rolled her eyes. **"We've gone over this,** _ **I**_ **don't care, it's my parents who think being all cute and fluffy will get me a trainer. Also, that's pretty funny coming from a prince."** She smirked, knowing his reaction.

" **I'm** _ **not**_ **a Prince! Just because Mew keeps calling me that…"** He sighed as Nero started chuckling. **"I'm never living that down, am I?"**

[Well, Feuerstein, you _are_ the son of the guardian, the family in charge of protecting the tree and its inhabitants from threats, so I would say you are pretty qualified for the title.] Mew said, making her presence known.

" **Ah! L-Lady Mew!"** Feuer said in surprise. **"I didn't know you were here!"**

[Hello Feuerstein, Nero.] Mew acknowledged each of them, Nero nodding when her name was said. Mew glanced at the circle of burnt grass. [I see you two have been working on your attacks. Hopefully, you two haven't been damaging _too_ much of my home.]

" **Uh…"** The two of them glanced at each other.

[Anyway, I've been gone awhile, Feuer, how's the family?]

The Riolu sighed. **"My Mom has been pushing me to train more, and work on some of my fire type attacks, but, as you can see, it hasn't been going so well… They mostly just fizzle or explode when I try to cast them."** He cast a glance at Nero. **"Though, strangely, some of my attacks that I** _ **can**_ **cast seem to home in on the nearest Pokémon… So, that might be a good thing?"**

" **I had to learn that the hard way."** Nero shuddered.

Being born the kid of the current Guardian of the Tree of Beginning had its drawbacks. One was expected to be the very best fighter to defend the home of the legends from attack and to honor the family name and those who had come before. This put a lot of pressure on the children of them family, namely Feuer. Feuer was a strange Riolu, being born to a cross-species couple, adopting his Blaziken father's ability to use fire-type moves, and his resistance to fire, among other things. While cross-species breeding was more common in areas that had more contact with People, that's not to say it didn't happen in the wild. It was just extremely rare. He and Nero the Zorua had been friends since each of them could remember, and their parents were well acquainted.

Mew raised an eyebrow. [...I see. Now, considering your position, I'm not sure how useful my information would be, but I'll try to help anyway.]

Feuer turned his attention to her. When the ancestor of all Pokémon gave you advice you listened.

[What I think the problem might be is that you're trying to cast your fire-type attacks the same way you cast your other attacks. Instead of trying to cast them your way, let your body take control in this case. Due to Riolu not naturally being able to use fire-type moves, you're going to have to train your body to use them. Understand?]

" **Uh…"** Feuer blinked, trying to process what she had said. **"I get it… I guess?"**

Mew shrugged [Or, just keep trying till you get it. I don't know much about how hybrids bodies work.] She turned to Nero. [So, Nero, what about you? Your brother finally move out?]

" **Yea, he did, few months ago actually. Took a lot of pressuring from my parents."** She giggled. **"But, he finally did leave."**

Mew chuckled. **"Knowing him, your parents had to throw him out, didn't they?"**

Surprisingly, she shook her head. **"Actually, it was a girl. She left, and it "inspired" him to leave, just to follow her."**

Mew nodded knowingly. **"Yep, that's boys for ya, always trying to impress a girl. They never change."**

" **I'm standing right here."** Feuer deadpanned.

" **Well stand somewhere else!"** Mew pushed him to the other side of the clearing, before returning to gossip with Nero.

Feuer just sighed, defeated. No point in trying to do anything while Mew and Nero were talking to each other. The last time that had happened, they were there for an hour…

He glanced at the sun that had now completely set under the horizon, and shrugged. Might as well head home.

[Girl trouble?]

He glanced at the figure who had appeared beside him, towering above him, watching Mew and Nero in the distance.

" **Well, she's just a friend, and… um… n-not really?"**

[Hmmm. Do you wish she was, though?]

A blush made its way onto his face, knowing what he meant... **"Well we, um…"**

The figure chuckled. [Just keep trying, young one.]

" **Um… thanks?"**

They were silent for a moment. **"You… you're Arceus, aren't you?"**

[And you are Prince Feuerstein, son of Guardian Aurora the Second, defender of the tree of Beginning.] The god said. [Quite an impressive title, shame you didn't live a thousand years ago. It would have been three times as long.]

" **And I would have been mated off to another royal family to settle a border dispute and forced to have kids by now."** He grunted. **"No thanks."**

[You don't seem to be all that surprised that you're talking to me.]

" **Honestly, with all the crazy stuff that happens around here, I honestly expected you to show up at some point. We get a lot of legendries showing up around here."**

[Things certainly have changed since I was gone. For better or for worse, I can't tell.]

[Definitely better.] Mew said, holding a chocolate bar. The brand name read _Maguffin_. [I mean, they have _chocolate_ now. Chocolate makes everything better.] She took a bite. [I mean, the world may be on the brink of nuclear devastation from the cold war between Unova and Kalos, and on the edge of total economic collapse, but that doesn't matter, right?] She took another bite out of her candy bar.

The others chose not to comment.

" **Oh crap, I need to get home!"** He exclaimed, dashing off. **"Bye Mew, see you! Bye Arceus!"** He was soon followed by Nero, and before long they disappeared from view.

[They're cute, aren't they?]She said as she watched them disappear.

[Certainly. I remember how cute you were, back when you were just a kid. But…] His voice took on a more serious undertone. [This is what my mistake has compromised. The beauty of nature, the innocence of the young. All gone, because of me…] His face became downcast.

[Father…] Mew spoke. [I swear, I will do everything in my power, and everything beyond my power, to do all that I can to make sure this corruption does not go out of control.]

Arceus stood there, then sighed. [I hope that it does not come to that.] He turned his gaze to the sky. [Prepare yourself, there are clouds on the horizon.]

He took to the sky, floating a few feet above her head. [I must go, the need to announce this to everyone. Are you prepared for a council?]

[A council? _Here?_ ]

He nodded.

[I... um, I guess I could re-setup everything, it's been awhile since we had one… But, I can get everything ready by tomorrow.]

He nodded and flew away, but stopped once more and turned back to her.

[Mew… Thank you. For everything.]

And in a warp of space and time, he was gone.

She floated there for a long while, watching the lights of Cameron Palace in the distance, smiling. Finally, she turned back and floated towards the tree.

[Hmm, I never got to use this.] She said, looking at the chocolate bar in her hands, before shrugging, and tossing it behind her. [Oh well, it'll come in handy later.]

[WHOA!] She grabbed her head as a migraine blurred her vision for a moment, before just a quickly passing her. [What… what the hell was that?]

Rubbing her temples, she looked up into the sky.

[An aura blast? A powerful one… Anyone who is even remotely attuned to aura would have felt that.]

A placed her palm on her head, the effects of the sudden headache lingering. [I haven't felt one that powerful since the last…] She remained silent for a moment, then smirked. [No, it can't be… could it? Perhaps, it is possible…]

She turned and proceeded to teleport away. [And if it's not him, this is very worrying…]

* * *

 _Oh? What's this? Someone new? First it was ages without anyone, now two people show up within a short time. I saw "short time", but I have no idea how long it's been._

 _Time is strange here._

 _I really miss that girl, she was fun to talk to. But she faded… What was her name again? A- something? Ah, doesn't matter._

 _So, newcomer, what's your name, and how did you end up here? Mine's Richard. The girl had quite the story, apparently she was some kind of spirit who had died and then had been revived as some science experiment, before dying again. Kept talking about someone named Mewt-_

 _Wait, you're already fading. Why? You were here for only a few moments. I never even heard you speak. Now you're leaving so soon?_

 _...Please don't leave me here. I don't want to be alone._

 _Again._

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes, finding his vision blurry and unfocused. He was laying on something soft, and the world around him was dark and quiet. A thin blanket was wrapped around his body, and he could hear soft breathing across the room. His lifted his head, his vision slowly clearing, and he could start to make out details of the room he was in.

He was laying on a couch in the largest room of Oak's lab, a central hub for the rest of the building that also served as a sort of a living room and a short-term storage area for scientific equipment. A cool breeze blew through an open window, the night sky visible in the background.

Tilting his head slightly, he found a softly snoring Pikachu resting by his head, curled up in a ball. Across from him lay the sleeping form of Latias lying on another couch, a white blanket draped over her. He slowly sat up, as to not disturb the electric mouse, and placed a hand on his forehead, struggling to remember what had happened to him before he ended up here.

He had been in Oak's lab, preparing for… something, he couldn't remember what. Suddenly, Latias had walked in, the two of them surprised to see each other, and began talking, Ash mostly asking her questions. Then, a bright light, and something about Latios and the Soul Dew. And then...

Sighing, he dropped his hand to his sides, looking around the room again. Blinking in confusion, he took another look at his hand.

He had claws.

Blinking again, he flipped his palm over, it was covered in small dark green feathers, and was an oval shape, with three large claws at the end. He had seen this before…

Moving his gaze between his hand and the sleeping Eon, and then quickly looking around the room for a mirror.

Finding one, he floated over, the action adding more evidence to his theory, and his arrival at the mirror completely confirming it.

Staring back at him from the mirror, was a Latias.

Or Latios, he reckoned, as weren't Latias only female? It didn't matter much right now.

" **Whoa…"** He breathed, momentarily stunned by the fact he was speaking Pokespeech. Using his new long neck and the mirror, he cast his gaze over his new body. Instead of the normal light-blue feathers that covered a normal Latios's body, the blue areas had been replaced by emerald-green feathers that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. The triangle shape on all Eon's chest was now [*], with a small yellow circle with an X through the middle at the center of the shape The same symbol could be found on the back of his right hand, and three black lines ran horizontally across his... wings?

He wiggled them slightly. He wasn't exactly sure what to call them, and they weren't wings in the conventional sense…

As he stood there, examining his new body parts, something dawned on him, something that made him stop and think for a moment.

 _He was a Latios._

A multitude of emotions rose as he came to that sudden realization. Awe? Certainly. Confusion? Another definite. Fear?

Although he would never admit it, fear was in there. Few things had actually made him scared during his travels, few things had made him fearful of his safety. This, he realized, was now one of them.

Things like this just don't normally happen. _How_ had this happened? He couldn't remember anything that had happened, just lots of white, and his imagination ran while coming up with strange ways his sudden transformation could have been achieved.

But, out of all the emotions he was feeling, there was one felt the most, above all the others. Excitement. Because, _he was a freaking Latios_.

Despite himself, he grinned. As a kid, he had always wondered what it would be like to be a Pokémon, causing him to often run off into the forest to play with some of the local Pokémon, often getting scared away by some of the larger, more hostile ones, eventually resulting in him meeting Professor Oak.

Now, he knew. There was a power, inside of him, that he could _feel_. It was brewing away, waiting to be released and used. He could see, hear, smell, _sense_ things that he could not before, and all the powers a Latios had come to mind. He was giddy, and wanted to go test all of it out.

But, looking back at the sleeping Pokémon, failing to see one of them beginning to stir, he stopped himself, and sighed. He wasn't looking forward to the morning. When they all woke up, they were going to want answers, answers he didn't have. And, knowing his mom, she would march right up to him and give a really big hug, saying she was glad he was alright before turning on him and reprimanding him for something or other. He wasn't sure what that would be though.

He floated over to a window, the night still and silent. There was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep tonight.

[Ash?]

" **Latias?"** He turned to find the Eon slowly approaching him, rubbing her eyes. **"Did… did I wake you?"**

She shook her head. **"No, and even if you did I wouldn't be angry. I think you need some comfort right now."** She said, switching to Pokespeech. **"Are… you okay?"**

He was silent for a moment. **"I guess, considering. I mean, I'm now a legendary Pokémon, how cool is that? But I also…"** A pause. **"How did this happen? I can't remember…"**

He turned his gaze to her, and they made eye contact for a brief moment, but when they did time seemed to slow for Latias. They seemed to sparkle from within, and their deep, blue depths pulled her in closer. She could see her reflection in them, staring back at her, dragging her ever closer to-

" **Latias?"**

" **AH!"** She leaped away, a massive red blush appearing on her face. **"Y-Ye-Yes Ash?"** She sputtered, trying to conceal her face with her claws. How long had they been like that, just standing there, staring at each other?

" **Are you okay?"** asked Ash, giving her a quizzical look. **"You were about to tell me what had happened."**

" **Oh! Y-Yes…"** As Latias began to explain to him how Latios had used them to break free of his crystal containment, a slight red tint still on her face, the memories slowly began to return to Ash. As Latias reached the end, Ash stopped her.

" **Wait, wait, I think I remember now. You said something about our souls not being compatible, and then he handed me a purple crystal right?"**

Latias nodded. **"Right. And then he said something about "Destiny" and then he…"** She stopped, suddenly looking sad. **"And then he…"**

" **Latias?"** Ash asking in alarm, as he noticed Latias beginning to cry. **"Are you okay?"** He asked for a second time, floating over to her.

" **I… I…"** She struggled to control herself, but failed and burst out sobbing. **"I'm sorry."** She said after a few minutes. **"It's just… my brother. Even after he was killed, I still felt he was with me sometimes, and I never really felt sad. Now, he's gone completely and just feel…"** She started sobbing again, this time burying her face in Ash's chest.

" **Everything's happening so fast…"** Her voice muffled, still sobbing. **"First my home is destroyed, and Bianca and Lorenzo could be dead for all I know, I almost died on multiple occasions, my brother finally leaves me and now you're…"**

Ash placed a hand on her head and her sobs became quieter. **"I'm sorry."** His voice full of sincerity. **"I know how it feels to lose a family member."**

She was about to ask what he meant when he grabbed her and pulled her in to a hug, causing a massive blush to spread across her face as the scent of an almost fully mature and strikingly handsome young Latios suddenly overwhelmed her senses.

But she didn't complain, and the two of them floated there for some time, Latias in Ash's comforting embrace.

* * *

 **And thus, I proclaim, let the ship sail! Little fluff at the end there between our two love-dragons, just to get the ball rolling. Mostly just Latias though, but Ash will get his fair share in later chapters. ;)**

 **Hey guys, I'm back! Not quite 6k like I promised, but it's well above my average chapter length, so it's a win for me, plus with the end of school just around the corner, and finals underway, I managed to squeeze time between studying and homework to finish this, and I'm glad I did. (Actually have two finals in the two days after posting this.) Also, my writing might become hampered as I need to give up my school laptop, and it's the one I do most of my writing on. So, we'll see.**

 **Also…**

 **Feuer = Fire (German)**

 **Nero = Black (Italian)**

 **Thank you to dracologistmaster and The Shiny Vulpix for reviewing, and I would love it if everyone reading this could leave a review telling me your thoughts on the chapter, especially the fluff at the end, it my first time ever writing romance, and feedback would be great. I can't get better if no one points out my flaws.**

 **Anyway, till next time when hopefully the plot and the romance finally kicks off in full. ;D**

 **~ST4RSK1MM3R**


	5. Chapter 5: Pantheon

**Reborn**

 **Chapter 5: Pantheon**

The land around the Tree of Beginning was much like the tree itself; strange.

There was nothing else quite like it on the planet. Fueled by the powerful aura energy emanating from the Tree, the plants here grew thick and wild. However, the closer one got to the Tree, the forest began to thin out, opening up to more rocky terrain. It was here where the crystals first began to appear, poking out of the ground in random spots, all connected back to the Tree in underground veins that made digging in the area difficult. It was here that two, small, green Pokemon decided to take what was _supposed_ to only have been a quick break. Unfortunately, half of their team had decided to wander off, following something that had caught her eye, and was now hopelessly distracted.

" **Come on Hana! We don't want to be late for this!"** The Shaymin, sky form, female, whined at her leader, who was currently smelling a flower, and in no way in a rush to get to the council meeting they were late for, having woken up and flown all night from Sinnoh when the call had gone out. It was very exhausting, and she had proposed that the two of them take a quick stop just outside their destination to rest up after the long flight. Failing to get a response from her friend, she tried again. " **Hanaaaaa!"**

" **Oh, but Botanic! Look at this beautiful flower!"** Hana was the daughter of the chief of their clan, giving her a lot of power over the other Shaymin. She was shy, kind, and always wary of danger, but not weak, and could easily hold her own in a fight if pushed. She was also cyan and white, a shiny, seen by a blessing by the gods in Shaymin culture. " **It's an Aura flower! I have heard of these legendary flowers, but never imagined I would see one up close and in the wild!"**

" **Fascinating,"** Botanic said in a deadpan voice. " **Now we** _ **reeeeally**_ **need to get moving!"** Botanic was the opposite of Hana, brash and not afraid to show off to impress her peers. That's not to say she was reckless, though. She had been appointed to her current position of general at a very young age after her father retired, due to her amazing mind for strategy and tactics, and would never fully commit to a fight she knew she couldn't win.

" **I heard that they have the ability to show you past events! Do you think that will happen if I touch it?"** Hana reached out and touched a paw to the crystalline flower, either unaware or ignoring Botanics growing annoyance.

" **Hana…"**

" **Ooooh…"** The flower bloomed and a blue light erupted from the plant, the shiny Shaymin standing there petrified as events transpired in front of her that only she could she. Botanic just stood there with a blank expression. The light faded, Hana finding herself being pulled away from the flower, and Botanic standing over her.

" **Hana, look, I get it, you like flowers. I like flowers too, that kinda our job.** _ **But,**_ **it's** _ **also**_ **our job to be at this council that we are now late for. The flower will be there when we get back."** Botanic glared at her, stressing her point.

" **Oh, s-sorry Botanic…"**

Botanic sighed, her gaze softening. It was hard to stay mad at Hana when she got sad, and she unleashed the puppy eyes. " **Look, just… try to stay focused here, alright? This is really important, and you want to make a good first impression to Arceus, don't you?"**

Hana nodded.

" **Good. You ready to fly?"**

Another nod.

And with that, the two Shaymin took to the sky, heading in the direction of the Tree.

* * *

" **Ow…"** Ash groaned, opening his eyes to find himself lying face-up in the dirt, looking up towards the sky. He remained motionless for a while, watching the clouds drift overhead, the fact that he had just crashed taking while to register in his mind.

" **Oops a daisy… It's enough to make you weep."**

He shifted his head towards the voice, hearing to sound of approaching footsteps. It sounded familiar, yet he didn't know who it was.

" **Undercarriage lever a bit sticky, was it?"**

" **Matter of fact, it was."** He said, continuing the quote. He lifted himself off the ground, brushing the dirt off his feathers, and turned to his friend.

" **You okay?"** Pikachu asked him. He nodded as two figures landed beside them.

" **You could teach** _ **monkeys**_ **to fly better than that!"** Avian said, setting down and continuing with the theme. She turned to the mouse. " **Morning Blitz."**

Pikachu nodded. " **Morning Avian."**

" **Ash!"** Latias swooped down to land beside them, concern in her voice.

" **I'm fine."** He said in an attempt to alleviate her fears.

" **You could have hurt yourself doing a stunt like that!"** She scolded. " **You're new to flying! Try and get used to it before going out and attempting to do stunts like that!"**

" **Sorry, Latias…"**

" **Just, don't be so reckless, alright?"** She sighed, shaking her head.

" **You're beginning to sound like my Mom…"** He sighed. " **I don't need** _ **two**_ **people nagging me about stuff…"**

" **Well, maybe if you actually listened to your mother she wouldn't nag you so much,"** Avian said, inserting herself between the two dragons. " **I should know when my kids actually listen they find that their lives are much better without an irritated mother!"**

" **Wait, you have kids?"** Ash asked, surprised.

Avian scoffed. " **What do you think I've been doing for the past six years? Certainly not sitting around lazing away like Overgrowth has been."** She turned to Ash. " **The same goes for you! What have** _ **you**_ **been doing the past six years? Still haven't found yourself a girlfriend or won any leagues I see."**

" **I saved the world a few times!"** Ash countered. As they talked, Latias began to zone out, deep in thought, thinking about something she had never considered before.

Ash's parents.

She realized after Ash's comment that, eventually, she would meet Ash's parents during the day. This thought made her nervous. She never was good at meeting new people…

What would they be like? How would they react when they learned their son wasn't a human anymore? How would they react to her? Would they reject her, being protective of their son, or would they bring her into their family, treating her as their own? What about when they learned of her crush?

What would it be like, to be part of a family? It was something she had been asking herself all her life.

A dark fear she had kept hidden since her brother died began to rise to the surface.

Since her brother's death, she had been alone.

Sure, she had Bianca and Lorenzo, two people who had been there for as long as she could remember, but they weren't _family_. Close friends, close enough to be considered family, but not _family_. Those who were not separated by a species gap.

Ever since her brother's death, she had been alone. Not in an emotional way or a physical way, but in a biological way.

Ever since her brother's death, she had been the last of her kind. When she eventually grew old and died, the Eon dragons would die with her. There had once been a sliver of hope that perhaps, somewhere out there, there were others of her kind, but that had been given up long ago.

But now…

" **Latias?"**

" **Huh?"** She looked up, finding Ash looking at her.

" **Are… you okay?"**

" **Yea, I'm fine, why?"**

" **You just seemed a little… sad."**

She shook her head. " **No, no, I'm fine."**

He gave her a look that said he wasn't sure if she was lying or not. " **...Okay then. We were all going up the lab for food, and I'm hungry, so let's go."** Just as he said that his stomach growled, causing him to chuckle slightly.

Latias glanced past him, finding the group already a distance away. " **I haven't eaten in three days. That's probably a good idea. Lead the way, then!"**

They turned and made their way towards the lab under the morning sun.

* * *

" **Hey! You two!"**

This shout caused the two Shaymin to halt in the air and turn towards where the voice had come from, finding a female Lucario holding a clipboard looking up at them. " **You two wouldn't happen to be Shaymin, would you?"**

Hana and Botanic shared a glance. " **Who are you and who wants to know?"** Botanic replied.

" **I do. I'm Mitternacht, the Aura guardian, I need to know if I'm going to let you into the thing that you're late for."**

" **In that case, yes, I'm Botanic, and this is Hana, and we're-"**

" **Don't care, and hold still."** Mitternacht threw out her arms, blue light surrounding her paws.

" **Whoa!"** Hana shivered as the light flowed from the Lucario's hands and wrapped around her body, giving her a strange sensation.

" **There, now you are clear to enter the Core."** The light dissipated, leaving the two Shaymin floating there slightly confused.

" **Um… thanks?"** Hana replied, but the Lucario just huffed and walked away without a response.

" **Well, that was… rude. Whats with her?"** Botanic questioned, landing at the base of the Core crystal.

" **Well… she's most likely been at this all day. I think that's why."** Hana offered, but she had as little an idea as Botanic.

The other Shaymin just shrugged and looked up at the crystal that towered above them. " **I don't know, but I say we should get moving. We're already late as it is."**

The two gratitude Pokemon placed their feet onto the large crystal, reopening their eyes to find themselves teleported to another plane of existence after a brief moment of weightlessness. In front of them lay a scene that would make even the most hardened veteran Pokemon hunter break down and cry. Legendaries of all calibers stood and floated before them, chatting to each other, paying the two small newcomers no mind, few even noting their arrival.

" **Oh… oh dear…"** Hana's eyes widened at all the unknown Pokemon she had never met, most towering over the tiny hedgehog. The prospect of meeting new people caused her to press herself onto the floor, hoping no one tried to talk to her.

" **Hana, get up."** Botanic facepalmed. " **We need to go talk to Arceus."**

" **Arceus? Oh dear…"** Now the Shaymin looked even more scared. In a brief flash of light, she reverted back to her even smaller land form, trying and failing to make herself invisible.

The sky form Shaymin just ended up dragging the unwilling land form towards the front of the room, although after a while she stood up and walked with her, having at least some sense of dignity. As they walked past, she gazed up at what was going on around her.

Everyone was here, from small, regional legends like the Swords of Justice, who were currently speaking to the three Johto Beasts, their newest and youngest member, Keldeo, flanked by Cobalion and Suicune, the latter nuzzling the former while Keldeo was stuck in the middle, embarrassed, to the Creation Trio themselves, Dialga and Palkia standing off to the side under the watchful eyes of Giratina. She chuckled, knowing the relationship between those three, some of her confidence coming back.

Jirachi, Celebi, and Victini chatted over the head of Zekrom, who was trying to pretend to not notice the lustful glances Reshiram was giving him, with Darkrai attempting to do the same with Cresselia. Xerneas and Yveltal stood on the other side of the room from each other. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf floated the closest the Arceus, Uxie strangely holding a steaming coffee cup. As they passed by, Celebi floated over, striking up a quick conversation with Hana before flying away. As they neared the front of the room, a number of legends thinned out, eventually just leaving just one legend at the head of the room.

Arceus. The creator, the being who formed and shaped the entire universe, and who is said to also be able to destroy it at any time if he so desired. Head of the Pantheon, a being whose power defies imagination. And, floating beside him, Lady Mew, his daughter. The life-giver, the ancestor of all Pokemon, who, according to legend, formed the first bodies of Pokemon from clay and sand on the beaches of the ancient world, birthing life into them, and creating the first generation of Pokemon.

Two creatures who, through myth and legend, had been lifted up so far to appear so high and mighty that many, even legends like herself, had begun to doubt their existence. But here they were, standing and floating right in front of them, as real as anything else.

However, she would soon learn that despite all their power, they were not invincible.

She gulped, nudging Hana who looked even more nervous. " **You ready?"**

" **N-No…"**

She took a deep breath. " **Alrighty then."**

Taking a single step forward, and then another, she made her way towards the two rulers, Hana shadowing her.

[Ah, you must be the two representatives sent from the Shaymin tribe. I welcome you.] Arceus spoke once they had reached a respectful distance, the two of them bowing their heads.

" **My name is General Botanic, of the Garuda clan, Gracemeria tribe."**

" **A-And I am Princess Hana, of the Shizen family, Gracemeria tribe."** Hana stammered slightly, raising her head.

[I'm glad you two could make it. I hope the trip wasn't too much of an inconvenience?]

The two of them glanced at each other, recalling the long tedious flight over open water they had to go through. " **N-Not at all…"**

[Wonderful. You are dismissed.]

Bowing again, they turned and retreated back the way they came, the one named Botanic congratulating the shiny one on how well she had handled the encounter.

Making sure they were out of earshot, Arceus turned to his daughter. [General? Why would the Shaymin's need a general? They are a peaceful race, are they not?]

Mew shook her head. [Not anymore, they're not. Three hundred years ago a large group started a revolution, splitting away from the main pack to form their own tribe. Now there are three tribes, the eastern and western Sinnoh tribes, as well as the small one that roams Unova. East and West are constantly getting into skirmishes, not to mention the bands of wild Pokemon, and the crime teams like Rocket and Galactic trying to hunt them down. Much has changed in your absence.]

[...Evidently. Now that they have arrived, shall we begin?]

[Let's get this over with.]

Arceus took that as a yes.

[Attention, everyone.] He called out, his powerful voice quieting everyone present, turning all of their attentions to him. [This council has now been called into session.]

Everyone began to move towards the front, assembling in the center, in front of Arceus, the smaller legends in front with the larger in the back.

" **Whats this about father?"** Dialga asked. Unlike most of the other legends present, the three members of the Creation Trio had spent enough time with their father to know when something was wrong with him. " **Are you unwell?"** It was clear to them he was, the effects of whatever was hurting him were clearly visible to those who knew where to look, and they knew it was bad. However, it was the cause of his sickness that they had been quietly debating ever since they had arrived, resulting in multiple theories.

[Yes, I am sick.] He said, sparking a wave of concerned glances and whispers to spread through the crowd as Arceus continued. [However, the sickness is not the reason I called everyone here today.] He glanced at Mew, signaling her to continue.

[The ley lines have become corrupted.] Mew took over, the delivery of this news causing those who knew what it meant to worried expressions and surprised gasps, and those who didn't to turn and ask their peers what it meant. [Specifically…] A holographic globe appeared in the air, zooming in on Unova, a portion of the northwest area highlighted. [ _These_ ley lines here.]

" **Do we know the cause?"** Rayquaza asked, one of the few who had remained calm.

[It's all my fault.] Arceus looked at the floor, his expression sad and downcast. [As I'm sure you all know, I was absent for quite some time, the details of which are trivial. Before I left, I failed to put in place a system to stabilize the ley lines in my absence, and the one I had in place quickly deteriorated and broke down without me there to renew it. It was truly a miracle that nothing happened to corrupt the ley lines sooner. I could have done something sooner, had I known, but it has moved beyond my capabilities at this point.]

" **But what** _ **caused**_ **it?"** Reshiram spoke, worried about her region falling to corruption.

[At this point, it would be impossible to know for certain, but…] Mew sighed, knowing the reaction what she was about to say would bring. [...we can eliminate any natural causes, meaning this was caused, either by accident or on purpose, by humans.]

The outrage was instantaneous.

Some called for redemption and accountability for the human race. A few, a very small minority, called for complete extinction, as retribution for their crimes against nature. Most didn't know what to think, looking on with confusion and slight fear.

Over all the cries he saw Mew sadly shake her head, causing Arceus to think back to what she had said before.

Times, truly, had changed.

[We will NOT be doing ANYTHING to the humans!] Arceus roared, stomping his hoof on the ground, the sound echoing throughout the room. All voices seized instantly.

[I understand that, in recent years, the humans have become somewhat of a nuisance, interrupting the actions of legends or disrupting the natural order. It was something I had planned to discuss after the potentially _world-ending_ event we are currently going through has passed, although if anyone would like to bring up the subject _now_ , we can put our world-saving efforts on hold to talk about it.]

No one dared speak. After a good long moment, he turned to Mew, nodding for her to continue.

She waited a moment still, before beginning again.

[...There are two possible solutions to this problem. Both are simple, but neither are very... favorable. The first option is the best one, and is a simple one; there is a temple, located here,] She pointed to a shot on the map. [That contain mechanisms that we can activate that will cut off the flow of energy to the corrupted sections, starving the corruption and causing it to die out, much like a fire. _But_ , that reduces about half of northern Unova to a wasteland. Clearly, we don't want that, but that's our best option at the moment.]

" **What… what is the second option?"** Someone asked.

[Someone in this room has to die.]

Everyone shuddered at the sudden dark turn the conversation took.

[Oh, and it's not go-to-heaven die, your soul is _literally consumed by the corruption_ , so yeah, I would advise not picking the second option unless one of you wants to spend an eternity in purgatory, and that's not something I would wish upon anyone. _Except maybe Celeste, that little bitch._ ] Mew added, muttering the last part under her breath.

[Normally we would sit and debate doing the two options, but seeing as we are quickly running out of time to act, I have made a decision.] Said Arceus. [We're going with the first one. I haven't decided who to send on this mission yet, so I would advise everyone to stay in the area until further notice.]

[If anyone has anything left to say, say it now. If not, this meeting is disbanded.]

And with that, the council came to an abrupt end.

As everyone began to disperse, Hana and Botanic hung back, watching everyone leave.

" **What happens now?"** Hana asked, an edge of fear creeping into her voice.

" **I guess… I don't know."** Botanic admitted. She didn't like not knowing. " **It's going to be big, whatever it is."**

* * *

 **Normally summertime means more uploads, but that's not the case with me as I actually spend** _ **more**_ **time goofing off playing video games than I do during the school year. It also doesn't help when you go on multiple multi-week vacations without internet** _ **and**_ **have possibly one of the shortest summers ever.**

 **Anyway, anyone catch the three references this chapter? ^^**

 **Okay, I have four things to say for all of my readers out there.**

 **1: Where the heck have you all been coming from? I gained like THIRTY follows on this story since I last updated, pushing it past the original Reborn in terms of follows/favs. But where have you all been coming from? I'm sure a few just stumbled by it while browsing, but what about the rest of you? Tell me in the comments.**

 **2: Speaking of comments, I can't say this enough, but I love comments! It really brightens up my day when someone leaves one, plus it helps me feel inspired and speeds up the writing process! SO LEAVE MORE COMMENTS. Also feel free to point out any writing mistakes I may have missed.**

 **3: I also might start updating my profile with writing updates from time to time, so check back there occasionally, if I even remember at all.**

 **4: I uploaded a new Pokemon story! Check my profile for it. The current title is Dragons of the Sky, though that's subject to change. If anyone out there has read Darkfoxkit's Child of Mew series, it's set in that universe and is heavily inspired by Ace Combat. Give it a read if you're interested.**

 **That's all for now,**

 **~ST4RSK1MM3R**


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